How Star Wars’ latest heroine Felicity Jones is set to take over the world

The leading lady of Rogue One: A Star Wars story has been on the scene for years but we predict that her life is about to change

by DOMINIC UTTON

16th December 2016, 6:39 pm

Updated: 8th February 2017, 1:22 pm

FELICITY Jones is about to hit the big time.

Although the 33-year-old Birmingham-born actress has been working for over two decades – including a stint as Emma Carter in The Archers – and scooped BAFTA and Oscar Best Actress nominations for her role as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything, it’s fair to say that up until now she hasn’t been a household name.

As Rebel leader Jyn Erso in the Star Wars spin-off Rogue One, Felicity follows fellow Brit Daisy Ridley as one of a new generation of actors immortalised in the greatest cinema franchise ever.

And she can hardly believe it herself.

“You think it can’t get more exciting than shooting and production and being on set,” she says.

“And then you realise that now everyone is going to see it, and it’s like this explosion of anticipation all over again.

“I’m nervous and excited for everyone to see it. I know how much Star Wars means to so many people around the world. You can’t help but be affected by that legacy and those iconic characters. But Rogue One is a very different Star Wars film. We shot on a 360-degree set with cameras everywhere, and that creates a really immersive experience I think people are going to love.

“I still can’t quite believe that I’m a part of this world, I’m a part of a galaxy far, far away. You can’t help but have an intake of breath when you think of how big a moment this is.”

You can forgive Felicity a little excitement.

Rogue One is not only unquestionably the biggest release of the year, but has also been the most hotly anticipated film since, well, The Force Awakens this time last year.

The story revolves around the plot by Felicity’s band of rebel heroes to steal the plans to the Death Star that Luke Skywalker and co used to such devastating effect in Episode IV – A New Hope.

Although there will be no Luke, Leia or Han Solo, a return for Darth Vader is promised. And internet forums and movie gossip sites have been feverishly speculating for months on who else might return – including everyone’s favourite bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Felicity was so overwhelmed when she heard that the producers were interested in her for the lead role in the film, she initially thought it was an elaborate prank.

“I thought: ‘Is this a mistake? Have you got the wrong person?’” she laughs.

“And then… ‘Oh my god, this isn’t a joke, I’m sitting with [Rogue One director] Gareth Edwards and he’s telling me the story about these characters and Stormtroopers and weird fantastic creatures and space monkeys with laser blasters.

It doesn’t seem to matter that I’ve never done anything this physical before.

And suddenly I’m thinking: ‘This is not a dream, oh my god, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’

“You know, people keep asking me whether there was hesitation on my part before saying yes. And actually I couldn’t accept fast enough.”

Rogue One is possibly the biggest film that Felicity have ever worked on

Felicity may have enjoyed critical success and a career in which she has breathed life into characters in films as diverse as Brideshead Revisited and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but it’s fair to say that blaster-toting sci-fi action epics have not been her bread and butter.

“There wasn’t ever any real trepidation,” she insists.

“Certainly a few jitters, but it’s the challenge that’s ahead, getting to push myself.”

And, if nothing else, taking on such a physically demanding role has taught her a few new skills.

“I learned all these kung fu moves, which was really cool,” she says.

“You don’t spend hours and hours with kung fu trainers for months and not learn something. I haven’t had the chance to try them out yet [in real life], and hopefully, I won’t have to!”

The difference between this role and Felicity’s previous work goes beyond simply learning some cool new martial arts skills, however.

Brought up in Birmingham by her mother (her parents split when she was three), she started her career in children’s TV shows, including The Worst Witch, while barely in her teens.

But she then stepped away from acting to concentrate on her education.

The result was a degree in English literature from Oxford University, after which she soon returned to the spotlight.

There followed a career that was steady, if unspectacular – as well as her long-running role in The Archers, she appeared in an episode of Doctor Who, took the lead in an ITV production of Northanger Abbey, and had parts in several critically acclaimed independent films.

Safe to say, hers has not been an overnight success story, but rather a steady application of talent.

Instead of bursting on to the scene, Felicity has taken the time to learn her craft.

“I’ve been acting since I was 11, when I was in a Victorian costume drama called The Treasure Seekers,” she says.

“So I’ve been around for a while, yes! But I never wanted to categorise myself, ever. I did a couple of costume dramas and I got a ton of similar scripts because that’s how I was being interpreted as an actress, that was my niche. But if I feel I’m being pushed into a corner, I’ll intuitively dart out of there and move into somewhere else.”

That “somewhere else” paid off to spectacular effect in 2014, when her performance opposite Eddie Redmayne as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything bagged her Best Actress nominations across the awards board.

This year, as well as Rogue One, she starred in another blockbuster, opposite Tom Hanks in Inferno.

Her time is now split between east London and LA – but suggest that her new-foundA-list status means she’s turning her back on those smaller, independent British movies, however, and she’s quick to set the record straight.

“I want to do both. For me, it’s all about the story and I can’t see why there can’t be great storytelling and a film that’s fun and exciting to watch, whatever the budget. That’s when cinema is at its best. I would never discriminate against either kind of film – big or small.”

She concedes, however, that the differences between a big-budget action film like Rogue One and an independently made character study like The Theory of Everything can not only affect how she approaches a role, but also how she switches off from it at the end of the day.

“I think it’s harder to pull yourself out of something that’s closer to real life where you can find so many resemblances that remind you of work and that headspace you’ve been occupying,” she explains.

“Or you find you can remain there for longer stretches because you don’t have to make as much of a leap.

“It’s completely different when you’re working on something like Rogue One. You can hang up your gun belt, go home and relax for the evening, and switch off. With lots of bruises. I guess it’s strange when you’ve been in that world and then you’re in the pub a couple of hours later having a normal conversation. But it’s the job. It’s all part of what we do.

“I genuinely think I’m steeped with luck with the work and the directors I’ve had the chance to work with, and the roles I’ve been gifted,” she continues.

“I don’t know how I’ve managed that. I guess it’s down to openness within your relationships – be it with the director or the writer. It’s about knowing your character and bringing suggestions that tailor a more personal touch to you as an actor, which helps it feel less clichéd and superficial.

“And then, yes, I’ve been very lucky. You know, a couple of years ago, I didn’t have that luxury as much, I just did whatever job came my way because I needed to eat and pay rent and I was happy just to be working. But now there’s more room for discussion and examination of nuances and idiosyncrasies.”

However, with Daisy Ridley taking the lead in last year’s Force Awakens and now Felicity calling the shots in Rogue One, it seems that, from now on, it’s women who are taking charge.

“I think it’s really cool that it’s women at the forefront of this new generation of Star Wars,” she says.

“And British women no less. Daisy and I are really lucky to be in the positions we’re in and that has a lot to do with [producer and Lucasfilm president] Kathleen Kennedy opening the doors for these determined, strong, intelligent female characters. I’m so chuffed and proud to be part of that revolution.

“And I’m so happy that it’s heading towards this deviation away from paper-thin characters for women – largely because cinema and Hollywood are very significant in the portrayal of women, in that they reflect reality. There’s so much sway, you have to have complex, detailed characters with depth, for women and men.”

Press her, however, and Felicity gives the real credit for characters like Jyn Erso and Daisy Ridley’s Rey to another kick-ass outer space alien basher.

She believes it was Sigourney Weaver, as officer Ripley in Alien, who laid the groundwork for women in film.

The actress is set to expect increasing attention from the media following the success of Rogue One

Despite a recent story in The Hollywood Reporter claiming she is dating British director Charles Guard, Felicity herself refuses to speak about her love life.

So how does she deal with it?

Not just with being in the biggest film of the year, but with having the biggest year of her professional life, and the attention that comes with it?

Felicity laughs.

“It’s not really like you ever stop and go: ‘Oh, this is a big year!’” she says.

“I’m just trying to keep working and to be discerning with the kinds of projects I do. My friend Riz Ahmed, who’s in Rogue One with me, says films are like buses – you wait for one and then they all come at once. That’s the way it goes, so right now I’m just trying to enjoy it.”

As for the legions of fans, reporters and paparazzi she can expect to follow her every move from now on, she dismisses the very idea.

“I don’t think it will change, I really don’t,” she says.

“I still take the Tube to work, take it home. I think it’s a lot to do with how I don’t look like myself in these roles, it helps me blend in. It just doesn’t happen really. And I’m not waiting for it to happen. Daisy was saying to me that she was constantly told: ‘You won’t be able to walk to Sainsbury’s! You’ll be mobbed!’ And you know what? It just hasn’t happened.”